Veteran’s daughter to see her hospital petition go to PM
The daughter of a war hero who released harrowing pictures of him in the final days of his life lying naked in his own waste in hospital will see her hospital standards campaign reach the Prime Minster.
Great-grandfather Frank Foster, a decorated Second World War soldier, was pictured face down and nude and apparently covered in urine at the Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury.
The 93-year-old’s family, from Tunbridge Wells, said he was stripped of his dignity and claimed nurses ignored the blind and deaf pensioner, leaving him on a soaked bed while he suffered a brain tumour.
His daughter, Joanne Fowler, stepped in and removed his clothing after he became incontinent, but said hospital staff wouldn’t help lift and clean him.
She was so appalled she took photos and made a recording of his distressing cries, plus a nurse threatening to ask her to leave after she complains about his pain.
Mr Foster, a soldier in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and 2 Queen Victoria’s Rifles (Territorial), died on June 13, 2014 – six days after his daughter found him naked. She complained and was told an independent investigation found Mr Foster received appropriate care from staff, but acknowledged there were three hours where he could have been given more pain control.
This prompted Mrs Fowler to launch her Change Not Blame campaign calling for higher standards of palliative care and better pain relief. Her online petition has been signed by 40,689 people and MP Greg Clark has pledged to present it personally to Theresa May.
Mrs Fowler said: “My dad was in absolute agony so when he died it was a relief. He would have suffered less in battle.
“I cannot believe there was no evidence my dad had been neglected. The Prime Minister needs to know about this suffering and I have had doctors and families pledging their support.”
After leaving the Army in 1945, Mr Foster became an accountant. He and his wife Jean, now 86, had five children. .
After the investigation the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust highlighted its communication with families in distressing situations could be improved.
A spokesman said: “End of life care has changed significantly through a new holistic approach. Individual care plans are developed to meet the needs and wishes of the dying person and those closest to them.”
Sign the petition at https:// tinyurl.com/joannepet